Santi Siri is one of the founders of Proof of Humanity, an Argentine social entrepreneur and digital rights advocate. He has been dedicated to researching democracy in the digital age and blockchain technology over the past few years. Proof of Humanity is his latest project, aimed at addressing existing verification and authentication issues by establishing a decentralized, tamper-proof human identity registration system.
Guests#
Santi Siri is one of the founders of Proof of Humanity, an Argentine social entrepreneur and digital rights advocate. He has been dedicated to researching democracy in the digital age and blockchain technology over the past few years. Proof of Humanity is his latest project, aimed at addressing existing verification and authentication issues by establishing a decentralized, tamper-proof human identity registration system.
Introduction#
This episode discusses the project Proof of Humanity, co-founded by guest Santi Siri (translated as "Proof of Humanity" or "Humanity Proof," collectively referred to as "Proof of Humanity"). This is a decentralized human identity registration system that allows individuals to prove their human identity and gain corresponding rights and protections to address the issues with existing verification methods. Although the project has been established for less than a year, it has gained a significant number of users in regions such as Latin America and is one of the largest UBI experiments in the world. The episode also explores the importance of blockchain in verification and decentralized governance, the concept of Universal Basic Income (UBI), and its potential to address poverty with support from the Ethereum community.
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#1 Establishing Decentralized Verification and Promoting Digital Democratic Governance#
Santi Siri introduced his new project Proof of Humanity, which is a blockchain-based protocol for formally confirming human identity on the blockchain and has the capability to prevent malicious attacks. This means anyone can prove their human identity through this protocol and gain corresponding rights and protections. This is an innovative technology aimed at enhancing the credibility and transparency of blockchain, as it effectively addresses verification issues. Santi Siri stated that the project has been launched for less than a year, with a continuously increasing number of registrations, particularly from users in Latin America. He also discussed his previous experience with Democracy Earth researching democracy in the digital age, which was one of the reasons he discovered the opportunity for Proof of Humanity.
Santi Siri explored the importance of blockchain in verification and decentralized governance. In some previous pilot projects, the presence of a large number of fake users led to various issues. These problems prompted individuals, including Vitalik, to start paying attention to verification, which led to the founding of Proof of Humanity. The protocol aims to create human identity in a decentralized manner without relying on a centralized authority. Proof of Humanity allows for the establishment of a decentralized governance mechanism by using a "one person, one vote" approach and representation of rights.
Kevin believes that Proof of Humanity is a foundational building block for upgrading digital democracy, civic resistance, and verification. He also inquired about how Santi Siri envisions the implementation of UBI (Universal Basic Income)—a mechanism that can send tokens to verified addresses in real-time. Santi Siri responded that once you are verified on Proof of Humanity, your address can start accumulating UBI tokens at a rate of one UBI per hour. The success of Proof of Humanity will provide infrastructure for digital democracy, social resistance, and verification, and he has begun researching potential use cases related to it to expand the protocol's impact.
#2 Exploration and Practice of UBI in the Ethereum Community#
Santi Siri discussed how different NFT projects are practicing methods to generate profits by "burning UBI" tokens. He believes that as the Ethereum community continues to grow, more projects will attempt to explore applications by burning UBI tokens. He also mentioned that Ethereum founder Vitalik purchased a large number of UBI tokens and burned most of them, becoming one of the holders of UBI. At the same time, he pointed out that Ethereum can address poverty issues in society through UBI.
Kevin explored the application of UBI from the perspective of human needs, believing that the existence of UBI can help people focus more on self-actualization rather than just struggling to make ends meet. He sees this as an interesting mechanism for creating more human prosperity and praised the success of the Proof of Humanity project in advancing UBI practices.
Santi Siri mentioned that the Proof of Humanity project is one of the largest UBI experiments in the world, with over $50 million in transactions and nearly 15,000 participants, which is a significant progress. He pointed out that with strong support from the Ethereum community, the project will have a better outlook. The project aims to establish a globally applicable decentralized verification system and provide UBI for participants. Santi Siri hopes to promote it to millions of users and expects to achieve this goal within the next five to ten years.
However, the current challenge for the project is that the deposit requirements are still too high for many people. Therefore, the Santi Siri team is working to lower the barriers to using Proof of Humanity and hopes to reduce system costs through scalability and layer tools. They also hope to see more applications and games, as well as various DeFi systems that can use their fees to burn Proof of Humanity tokens, thereby supporting the realization of UBI. This approach not only aligns the goals of these applications and systems with UBI beneficiaries but also makes users' leisure time more meaningful.
Moreover, for those living in regions like Latin America, the role of UBI is particularly significant. The project has a large user base in the region, many of whom may have never interacted with traditional financial systems or cryptocurrencies, but through the Proof of Humanity project, they have gained a digital identity and a small amount of cryptocurrency, allowing them to start learning and using various systems and applications on the Ethereum network, which is a very promising way to guide digital assets.
In this project, UBI is seen as a core element of the future, while the few users currently receiving UBI are viewed as seeds for millions of future users. Some of these users can receive a basic income of $1,200 per month, enough to cover their rent and living expenses. This shows that UBI is of great significance for those with lower living standards, helping them live better and integrate into society. Therefore, Santi Siri hopes to provide basic income for more people in the future, helping them escape poverty and realize their dreams.
Santi Siri believes that the implementation of UBI has a positive impact on those who need help the most, and he feels optimistic about its global implementation in the next ten, twenty, or thirty years. At the same time, he believes that cryptocurrencies have the potential to help everyone globally meet their daily needs and provide global UBI. Cryptocurrencies have equal technological characteristics, allowing anyone, regardless of location, to access the same UBI, which is a magical equalizing technology. However, this also presents a challenge for the technology: how to make everyone feel welcome.
#3 The Popularity of Cryptocurrencies in Argentina and People's Affection for Vitalik#
Kevin believes that the UBI system can be participated in by anyone globally, and its potential is incredible. He hopes to help everyone better understand by sharing some specific examples. Recently in Buenos Aires, Santi Siri met some users with Vitalik and wanted to learn how they benefited from this system. Due to inflation, capital controls, and energy subsidies, coupled with the pandemic, the demand for the use of cryptocurrencies has surged. He found that every person under the age of 30 in Buenos Aires is using cryptocurrencies because they need them to survive, not out of theoretical curiosity or the opportunity to make money. This is an urgent need.
Vitalik was treated like a real star in Argentina, even being recognized and asked for photos while walking two blocks down the street. He also met with former Argentine presidents, mayors, and some leftist activists to understand the real situation in Argentina. He visited a slum and interacted with local residents. In Argentina, he is not just a celebrity but a beloved figure among the locals. Local television stations reported on him, and the media followed his every move. This made more people aware of Ethereum and cryptocurrencies.
Kevin mentioned that young people in Argentina are using cryptocurrencies because they need them, not because they are just a theoretical concept. Additionally, Argentinians generally have lost faith in their national currency, believing it lacks stability and reliability. In response, Santi Siri confirmed that this is 100% true. Argentina does not have a real currency, and cryptocurrencies are more reliable and legitimate than government currencies. Due to Argentina's historical inflation and the instability of its legal tender, people have become accustomed to trading in dollars. Therefore, when cryptocurrencies emerged, they were naturally accepted. He believes that there is a great group of developers who have grown up in high inflation and financial crises, and these individuals have become staunch advocates of cryptocurrencies. Consequently, some projects running on Ethereum are also driven by Argentine developers.
The market in Argentina is very open to cryptocurrencies, with many startups raising significant amounts of funds and using cryptocurrencies as one of their primary payment methods. Kevin believes this indicates that cryptocurrencies, as a revolutionary technology, can provide opportunities for people when they need it the most. The success of cryptocurrencies in Argentina also suggests that this technology may become a widely adopted form of currency globally in the future.
#4 The Power of Community and Collaboration is Key to Success#
Kevin believes that Santi Siri has become well-known in the field of digital democracy and blockchain technology and has been actively seeking and validating opportunities to create more digital democracy and human prosperity. He asked Santi where his inner drive came from when he was previously less known.
Santi responded that his optimism mainly comes from the community. He recalled attending his first Ethereum conference and discovering a multitude of Ethereum communities. He believes that the community's openness and tolerance for different opinions inspire him. After a period of trial and error, he began the Proof of Humanity project. He emphasized that this project is a collective effort of the community, with the Kratos team exploring issues together, Vitalik and other researchers sharing ideas, and the Radical Exchange community providing help and support.
For Santi, the reward of work is the opportunity to learn and understand the world. He stated that if they can launch some code and technology that gets adopted and applied, that is the best feedback, as it validates the efforts and ideas they have researched over the years. He also believes that the true value of crypto-economics and decentralized technology lies not in the price of tokens or profits, but in the community and innovation that this technology can bring. He appreciates the community support and crowdfunding brought by projects like Proof of Humanity and UBI, as well as the global innovation and efforts that this technology fosters. He believes that the power of this technology and community can rapidly promote and realize ideas, thereby better serving the public interest.
Kevin shared similar views, believing that the development of crypto-economics and decentralized technology requires a diversified infrastructure so that each project can support and promote one another, achieving collective success. He emphasized the importance of community and public interest, believing that only through unity and collaboration can the immense potential of decentralized technology be realized, bringing more welfare and wealth to people globally.
Santi emphasized that in the Web 3.0 era, for projects to succeed, they need to consider how to cooperate with other projects or leverage other projects to make specific contributions, empowering not only their own projects but also the entire community. The spirit of open-source development and community building is the soul of this process. As we build these networks and systems, traditional modes of thinking have become outdated; we are building institutions for the future. This way of building can achieve coordination and organization on a global scale and truly impact the entire planet. At the same time, this is a new way of creating value, no longer adhering to the modes of thought of 20th or 19th-century American capitalism. This new way has replaced all other value generation models, even the largest venture capital firms are embracing web 3. Santi is confident about the future, but he also points out that we are still in the early stages, with many opportunities and challenges waiting for us to explore and solve.
#5 Social Ethereum: The Future Trend#
Santi believes that social ethereum is the future trend, which can help people gain more social rights and wealth, and bring greater social influence. He talked about how social media provides people with a voice, but the significance of social ethereum goes beyond just voicing opinions; more importantly, it can drive economic and social transformation, allowing everyone to become part of society and enjoy their rightful rights without the need for authorization or mediation from central or corrupt institutions. He believes that social ethereum is the direction of the future, and it will have a profound impact on people's lives, just as social media changed the world in the past decade.
Kevin proposed a definition of "regenerative crypto-economics," emphasizing the importance of creating positive externalities and meeting human needs within the crypto-economic system. He highlighted that maintaining system balance and meeting human needs can be important indicators of the success of crypto-economics. Santi affirmed this definition and proposed "regenerative economics of blockchain," which means a more meaningful and sustainable economic system.
[1] Proof of Humanity: https://proofofhumanity.id/
[2] UBI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_basic_income
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